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Introduction

Infelix ego is the crowning glory of Byrd’s achievement as a composer of spiritual words and one of the greatest artistic statements of the sixteenth century. The text is a meditation on Psalm 50 written by the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498). This remarkable man successfully led a campaign in Florence against the corrupt Medici family. With his powerful preaching he roused the townsfolk in religious zeal, cast out the Medici and set up a devastatingly rigorous Christian regime. Inevitably the fickle populace eventually grew tired of Savonarola’s severe piety and welcomed the Medici back; to satisfy their wounded pride, the family arranged for Savonarola to be tried for heresy (rather than treason) and then executed by fire. This remarkable text, taking the form of a number of rhetorical statements and questions, shows the whole gamut of emotion from a soul in torment—guilt, fear, embarrassment, anger, but crucially the gift of release when Christ’s mercy is accepted.

Infelix ego had been set before by Adrian Willaert, Cipriano de Rore and Orlandus Lassus but none of these comes even close to this emotional tour de force. Byrd would have known Tallis’s radical setting of the prayer Suscipe quaeso Domine which uses homophony set against polyphony to underline rhetorical questions and which must inform the younger composer’s setting. But more than this Byrd seems to have an emotional link with Savonarola’s words and to understand the mindset which has given rise to them. Savonarola sits in his cell in Florence awaiting execution for having followed his heart and his religious faith. At one time he was acclaimed by the people and his beliefs were an integral part of their lives. Byrd is in England, cut off from his faith and the rest of the Church to which he belongs. His colleagues are persecuted for their beliefs, beliefs which had been held by most of the people in England. Perhaps it is this shared metaphorical experience which leads Byrd to understand the real power of this text. There is not the space here for a full analysis of this Renaissance symphony, nor time to refer to all of the telling and subtle gestures which permeate the piece. The upward melodies which express the yearning in the writer’s eyes looking up to heaven for redemption, like Marlowe’s Faustus seeing the blood of Christ running in the heavens but being unable to access it. The juxtaposition of polyphony with homophony throughout: the constant ebbing and flowing of emotion as powerful as the sea. The build up of tension caused by an extended period of imitation around one of Byrd’s most frequently chosen words (‘misericordiam’ or ‘mercy’). The master stroke of a caesura followed by an astonishing chord progression and then a coda where it seems as if the longed-for mercy has actually been received.

Recordings

The Cardinall’s Musick’s award-winning Byrd series reaches its final volume. Throughout this series it has become evident that such a comprehensive survey shows the genius of the composer in a uniquely effective way: by demonstrating the extraordi ...» More

"England has never produced a greater composer than William Byrd. His music for the Anglican Church has been sung without interruption since the 16th century. In stark contrast his Catholic music was not heard for over 300 years. This specially pr ...» More

Choir Contrapunctus, directed by Owen Rees, explores the musical ‘cries of the oppressed’ from opposite ends of Europe. Their powerful performances includes musical treasures composed in England and Portugal during the sixteenth and seventeenth ce ...» More

Unhappy am I, deprived of all succour, who have offended against heaven and earth. Where shall I go? Where shall I turn? To whom shall I flee? Who will have pity on me? I dare not lift my eyes to heaven, against which I have grievously sinned; on earth I find no refuge, for I have become an outrage to her.

What then shall I do? Shall I despair? Let it not be. Merciful is God, loving is my Saviour. Therefore God alone shall be my refuge; he will not despise the work of his hands, will not reject his own image.

To you, then, most holy God, sad and sorrowing I come, for you alone are my hope, you alone are my refuge. But what shall I say to you, since I dare not raise my eyes? I shall pour out words of sorrow; I shall plead for your mercy and shall say: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.

Unhappy am I, deprived of all succour, who have offended against heaven and earth. Where shall I go? Where shall I turn? To whom shall I flee? Who will have pity on me? I dare not lift my eyes to heaven, against which I have grievously sinned; on earth I find no refuge, for I have become an outrage to her.

What then shall I do? Shall I despair? Let it not be. Merciful is God, loving is my Saviour. Therefore God alone shall be my refuge; he will not despise the work of his hands, will not reject his own image.

To you, then, most holy God, sad and sorrowing I come, for you alone are my hope, you alone are my refuge. But what shall I say to you, since I dare not raise my eyes? I shall pour out words of sorrow; I shall plead for your mercy and shall say: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.

Unhappy am I, deprived of all succour, who have offended against heaven and earth. Where shall I go? Where shall I turn? To whom shall I flee? Who will have pity on me? I dare not lift my eyes to heaven, against which I have grievously sinned; on earth I find no refuge, for I have become an outrage to her.

What then shall I do? Shall I despair? Let it not be. Merciful is God, loving is my Saviour. Therefore God alone shall be my refuge; he will not despise the work of his hands, will not reject his own image.

To you, then, most holy God, sad and sorrowing I come, for you alone are my hope, you alone are my refuge. But what shall I say to you, since I dare not raise my eyes? I shall pour out words of sorrow; I shall plead for your mercy and shall say: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.